The Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) is no longer requiring domestic shipping companies and operators to secure clearances from the Maritime Safety Service (MSS) and the Shipyard Regulation Service (SRS) when importing vessels.
Marina Advisory (MA) No. 2019-04 signed by officer-in-charge Narciso Vingson, Jr. revokes MA 2016-19 and MA 2018-21, which required the issuance of the MSS and SRS clearances in support of the application for authority to import with the Domestic Shipping Service.
Under MA 2019-04, these clearances are no longer needed, unless required by relevant Marina circulars related to importation of ships.
In 2016, Marina issued MA 2016-19 that required the clearance of the SRS to ascertain that the construction of the ship meets standards, rules and regulations and that the ship was capable of trading international, coastwise or by bay and river. The advisory also required the MSS clearance to ascertain that the ship was seaworthy for conduction to the Philippines, prior to the issuance of the Authority to Acquire ships through importation or bareboat charter.
MA 2018-21 issued last year, meanwhile, provided the guidelines for the issuance of the clearance for importation of second-hand vessels. It required the submission of documents before the MSS clearance for vessel importation could be issued.
MA 2019-04 took effect immediately after publication on March 18.
